The Grimoire

by Kestrel

Rating: teen
Tags: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sweetie Belle
Length: 15556

When Sweetie Belle and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders explore the Castle of the Two Sisters, she comes across a strange artifact that sets into motion events that could change her life.

In the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, Sweetie Belle comes into contact with a powerful artifact that gives her the promise of great power. What will she do with it? And what consequences might come with it? The days grow darker and strange things start to happen to her and her friends.

Something ominous lies on the horizon. With Sweetie's new found strength, does she have what it takes to face the oncoming peril to her home?

Published 2015-04-11 23:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-11 23:20:02 UTC

Part I

The Grimoire
MLP: FiM
By: Kestrel

“Cutie Mark Crusaders archeologists!” yelled the three fillies at the edge of the Everfree Forest. At their crusading once again, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom had agreed to go on an expedition into the forest to explore the Castle of the Two Sisters that Scootaloo had heard about from Rainbow Dash. They were trying to find out if their special talents were in the field of archeology, so they wanted to search for artifacts and other cool things in the ruins.

Armed with flashlights, a feather duster and a burlap sack, the three girls ventured into the brush on their adventure. Thanks to Applebloom’s apprenticeship to the zebra Zecora, she knew how to traverse the otherwise dangerous and mysterious wood. The three friends avoided the poison joke patch and bypassed some of the monsters lurking in the shadows.

Soon, the girls came to the rickety old bridge spanning the gap between two cliffs separating them from the side with the castle. As Scootaloo bounded up to the bridge, she cracked a smile and let her wings buzz, lifting her ever so slightly off the ground.

“This is the place!” she gasped. “This is where Rainbow Dash fought the Shadowbolts to help her friends save the kingdom! They tried to turn her over to the dark side, but she was too loyal and awesome!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

“We’ve heard this one already. Ya just go on an’ on about Rainbow Dash, you sure ya aren’t overstating it a little?” the earth pony asked. Scootaloo shook her head.

“Nope, I’m not overstating it. Look! The bridge she heroically pulled up all on her own and tied with her amazing strength is right over there,” the Scootaloo pointed out for her friend.

The bridge hung sadly in the air, decrepit from all the years of neglect. It looked unstable, but it was only gently swaying in the wind with nary a creak of wood. Sweetie Belle eyed the bridge cautiously.

“Um… Scoots?” she started in a squeaky voice. “Are you sure this’ll hold us up?”

Scootaloo let out a huff and ran ahead of the other girls. Fearlessly, she ran onto the bridge, the boards buckling slightly under her hooves. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle grimaced at how the bridge lurched.

“Look, it’s alright,” Scootaloo declared, bouncing in place on her spot. “Come on already, or are you guys too scared?”

The two fillies at the edge of the bridge looked back to each other and nodded. They went onto the bridge and met up with Scootaloo, briskly trotting across before testing their fate any further.

“See? We ain’t scared!” Apple Bloom announced as soon as they were back on solid ground. Scootaloo smiled back at them.

“Of course you weren’t,” she snickered, noticing a faint wobble in her friend’s legs. “Anyway, let’s move on, we’ve got a castle to find!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom yelled out together.

After about another half hour of trekking through nature, the girls finally came upon their destination. The ancient and crumbling castle stood only a little distance away. The broken glass and deteriorating walls seemed to beckon the girls to come closer and explore. Sweetie Belle found herself being drawn to the castle and started to canter over, her two best friends following closely behind.

As the girls entered a small hole in the side of the castle, they found themselves in a grand hall, coming out at a wall lined with tall pillars and a tattered red carpet leading to a raised platform with two seats. It took little time for the fillies to realize they were in the throne room of the forgotten palace.

Sweetie Belle rushed up to one of the thrones and planted herself upon it, striking a dignified pose and pointing her nose up in the air slightly. Playing along, her friends came up to the edge of the throne and did graceful bows to their ‘ruler.’

“Oh great and powerful Princess Sweetie Belle, what do you want us to do?” asked Scootaloo, barely containing her laughter. Sweetie Belle lifted up a hoof daintily and shooed them away.

“I’m exhausted from ruling over my domain and wish for my treasures to be brought to me,” the ‘queen’ replied. Apple Bloom struck a smart salute.

“As you wish, mah lady!”

Giggling, the three girls rejoined and danced in a circle happily. After their short rejoice, they formed a tighter ring and hashed out their plan.

“Alright girls,” Scootaloo began. “We need to find those treasures and ancient relics here, and then we’ll get our cutie marks for sure! We could even found a museum with all the cool stuff we get!”

The other fillies smiled and nodded along. They were psyched for their adventure. It had rarely ever gone this smoothly before.

“Ah say we split up to cover more ground,” Apple Bloom suggested. Scootaloo flashed a snide smirk to her.

“But if we separate, won’t you get scared?”

“Ah ain’t gonna get scared of the dark! I just don’t like it when my hooves aren’t firmly on the ground is all.” Sweetie Belle interjected to save time and get on their way.

“I think it’s a great idea!” she said in her high-pitched excited voice.

Having agreed on their plan, the three girls split up. Apple Bloom headed upwards toward the higher balconies and towers. Scootaloo busied herself with exploring the main areas and the large library. Sweetie Belle decided she would head into the lower reaches of the castle in hopes of finding a secret passage.

“Let’s all meet back here in about an hour or so!” Sweetie called out before heading down the stairs. Scootaloo threw her a wave of the hoof and a confident smile, up from the balcony, Apple Bloom waved a hoof down at Sweetie Belle with a large smile. With an hour to look on her own and get the glory of finding the coolest thing, the young unicorn descended into the depths of the castle.

The further she went down into the castle, the colder it got. Sweetie Belle regretted not bringing one of her sister’s chic jackets. She would have been warmer and more stylish. With her senses sharpened by the cold, Sweetie stayed attentive to her surroundings. After wandering the halls for some time, she found a strange organ at the end of a long stretch of walkway.

The organ itself seemed very strange, it was in outstanding condition despite its age, showing no wear or damages caused by time. She walked up to the side of the organ and struck a note on the keys. A sound played out in a loud volume, likely heard by anypony within the castle. But more curiously, the seat in front of the organ meant for the musician to sit in had disappeared within a hole that had opened up and closed rapidly.

Intrigued, Sweetie Belle played a few more notes. The first new one she played let out a sound and rotated the staircase that she had just descended. She now faced a solid wall. Alarmed, she played the key again, hoping it would reverse the action, but she found no such luck. She hit another key and while the sound played, she didn’t see anything happen, perhaps elsewhere in the castle.

On the fourth key she hit, after the deafening blast of the organ, she heard the rumble and creak of stone behind her. A passage had opened behind her. With no other place to go, Sweetie Belle quickly exited the organ’s room and went down the passage at a canter. The passage she just opened led to even more hallways, and after about five minutes of galloping down them, she became lost in the veritable labyrinth of halls.

She was lost! The young filly frantically searched for an exit, but to no avail. Tired out from running around, she took a quick rest, propping herself up against a wall. But out of the corner of her eye, she sighted a figure, masked by the shadow, there was another pony there with her!

Elated by this turn of events, Sweetie Belle got to her hooves and ran to the figure. Once it had sighted her, the figure turned its back to her and ran down the hall away from her.

“Wait! Please wait!” the unicorn yelled out desperately. “I just want to get your help!”

She chased her quarry down the halls, slowly gaining on the obscured figure. As she approached, she called out once more.

“Wait up! I’m lost and I need your help!”

As she had almost caught up with the figure, it turned a corner sharply. Sweetie took some time to slow down and readjust her course. But oddly enough, the path led to a dead end, and the figure was gone!

At the end of the hall, there was nothing but an old picture of Celestia and Luna, who had built the castle aeons ago. Sweetie approached the portrait and knelt down in front of it and tears began to fall from her eyes. She pondered her most recent decisions and wished fervently for her friends to find her so that she could return back to Ponyville safe and sound.

After a solid ten minutes of crying, Sweetie Belle picked herself up and steadied herself upon her hooves and wiped her tears from her eyes. Collecting her thoughts, she tried to look around and start finding her way out. But before she started moving about, something caught her eye, tucked in the corner of the room. A large tome was laying alone in the corner of the hall, obscured by the darkness of the castle. She would have missed it if not for having come so close to the portrait of the two sisters.

The young unicorn picked up the book and was immediately assaulted by the dust of countless ages past. To clear her head and protect her sight, she blew upon the face of the book, clearing the cover of dust. The book was old, weathered, and beaten, with the title illegible. The binding had a metallic sort of theme with veins of silver metal pieces lined with panels of red, green, and purple. Curious about this book, all alone in the lower levels, Sweetie opened the book and leafed through its pages, but the pages were all blank…

Frustrated, Sweetie Belle closed the book and set it back down and began to trot away. Suddenly, she heard a raspy and weak voice within her mind. Startled, she shrunk down and frantically looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. With nopony else around, her eyes fell back to the book. Another wheeze cut through the foggy atmosphere of the castle and reached her consciousness.

“...my voice… help…” the voice called to her in barely audible tone. Sweetie could hardly make out what was being said through all of the weakness in the voice. “Please… I need you…”

More intrigued than frightened, Sweetie reached the book once more and opened it up, and despite feeling like she was crazy, she attempted to make contact with the voice inside her head.

“Hello…?” she asked into the open air. To her surprise, the voice made a noise like a gasp.

“You… can hear… me…” it said with a raspy cough. “Please… save me, and I will relinquish… my secrets to you.”

Sweetie Belle was beyond excited, she was certain that this would be the coolest find of the journey. She made a glance at her flank, hoping that a cutie mark had manifested itself, but she found nothing there. Rather than being disappointed however, she merely hoped that she would have to just show her friends or somepony who would recognize the book’s value before it would come out. Regardlessly, she turned back to the book and listened intently.

“I have lost nearly all of the magic that sustains me,” the book spoke in a tone quieter than a whisper from Fluttershy. “I used the last of it to lead you to me. I need your help. You must save me by taking me out of this castle.”

Sweetie Belle’s enthusiasm faded slightly at his message. She was lost too…

“I’d love to! But I don’t know my way…” she lamented with her face now downcast. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “If I could, I would, but I’m don’t think I’ll be much help.”

The book sensed her unease and whispered to her mind once more.

“If you pass some of your magic into me, I can show you a spell that will help you find your way out of here…” the book reassured her.

“Really!?” the filly exclaimed. “O-okay! I’ll try it!”

With a determined expression set upon her face, she focused the magic she possessed through her horn and passed the raw energy into the book. The book gasped in delight and it seemed to Sweetie almost that the book was… eating her magic.

“Much better…” the book spoke in a slightly louder tone, gaining a bit more of a personality to it. While it still sounded tired, the book had developed a deep tone.

“Um… if I can ask… who are you?” the unicorn asked the tattered tome. “I’m Sweetie Belle.”

“Mmm… you may call me The Grand Wizard,” he replied. Now that the book had introduced itself, Sweetie noted that it sounded much like a grizzled old stallion. He sounded strict, but firm and intelligent. Just like how she expected Star Swirl the Bearded to sound.

With some strength in it now, the book opened itself of its own volition, startling Sweetie Belle as the pages feverishly flipped through to one of the blank pages. As the book had been before, it was blank. But after a few seconds, the page began to softly glow, and words began to surface, as if being written by the light. As Sweetie read it, it became clear that the words were the instructions to a locator spell. Though unlike all of the books she had read in Twilight’s library trying to learn magic, this one made it extremely easy to understand.

Having read the instructions and been given the blessing of the tome, Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed brightly in a green light and a faint path glowed in the air, directing itself in an almost invisible stream down the hallways. Carrying the book in her magic grip, Sweetie began to follow the green mist. Eventually, after a long trek through the halls, she found a staircase and ascended.

Having reached the top, she realized she was back at the first area she came to after descending the first staircase on her exploration. She knew her way back now. Now that she was safe, she rushed back to her friends, worried that she had missed the rendezvous time with the other crusaders, having lost track of time down in the castle.

The little unicorn galloped into the library, where her other friends had gathered, waiting for her to arrive to share their findings. As she approached, the other two fillies gave her a wave.

“Hiya Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom called out. Scootaloo nodded, but didn’t speak. She looked so giddy that she was bouncing in her seat. Now all together, the fillies congregated around one of the tables of the library. Apple Bloom opened with what she had discovered on her investigation.

“Ah didn’t find much…” she admitted dejectedly. “All I found were a few portraits and fancy banners, but they didn’t look like they’d be worth that much or be important for a museum.”

“That’s okay AB,” Sweetie Belle replied. “It’s a tough job, I actually got lost down there. I hope I didn’t keep you two waiting for too long.”

“Nah, you were actually just barely on time.”

“Okay! Me next!” Scootaloo declared forcefully. “I found something super special awesome!”

The earth pony and unicorn shrugged to each other and followed the little flight-impaired pegasus as she buzzed over to one of the bookcases. Confused as to why she stopped, the other girls began looking around, wondering if they had missed something.

“It’s right here,” Scootaloo said. “Just watch…”

Scootaloo sat down in a chair by the bookshelf and leaned back. To the other fillies’ surprise, the bookcase swung open to reveal a room hidden from the rest of the castle. The three crusaders walked in, awestruck.

“Wow! This is so cool!” squeaked Sweetie Belle. “Princess Twilight would love this place! I know she’s been here a couple times, but I doubt she’s ever found this!”

“I know, right?” Scootaloo replied excitedly. “I don’t really care about the books, but it’s a secret passage! How cool is that?”

The girls wandered around the room exploring for a good little while. Eventually, Apple Bloom perked up, remembering that this was only the second round of discoveries told. She turned to her unicorn friend.

“So Sweetie Belle, what’d you find?” Apple Bloom asked her.

“Oh! I almost forgot! You guys are gonna love this one!” she beamed. “I found a book! Only it’s special.”

“What makes it special?”

“It’s magical and it talks to you! It helped me find the exit from the basement.”

The crusaders crowded around the tome and roughly turned through the pages while asking a multitude of questions. But to Sweetie’s surprise, the text that she had read to learn the locator spell had gone. And the book remained silent, deaf to their inquiries.

“Sweetie Belle… I don’t think that this book is magical. It’s just blank,” Scootaloo said.

“But I was so sure! It talked to me,” the unicorn defended herself.

“Whatever, I guess that means I win! I found the coolest thing here!” Scootaloo smiled, brimming with pride. “It’s okay, Sweetie Belle, I think you’re just tired. Maybe we should head back and get to bed.”

Apple Bloom spoke up to her friends as well.

“Yeah, besides, my Granny Smith says that there might be some dark magic still lurking here while Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon. She says there’s a ‘pony of shadows’ here.”

“Come on, that’s just an old pony’s tale,” Scootaloo replied.

“Better safe than sorry,” Apple Bloom replied with a shrug.

Together, the three crusaders departed the castle and left for Ponyville.

When the girls finally reached the edge of Ponyville, the night had fully set in, the lights at Fluttershy’s house were all put out, and she was likely asleep. The streetlamps were illuminated so that anypony who had found themselves out and about at that hour could find their way home. Happy to have had another adventure together, but upset that nopony got their cutie mark, the crusaders parted ways and headed for their homes.

When Sweetie Belle got home, the lights were off everywhere except for Rarity’s room. Her sister was still awake, and Sweetie prayed to Celestia that she was absorbed in her work. If she caught her out of the house, let alone out of bed at this hour, she’d be livid. The little unicorn stealthily crept into Carousel Boutique and made her way up the stairs.

After a painfully slow creep up the stairs to avoid making noise, Sweetie was relieved to see that her sister’s door was closed and she could hear her fussing over her work.

The filly let out a held breath quietly.

“No, no, no! What was I thinking!? There’s no way I can use this in the show!” Rarity cried. “Rubies? Maybe, but I think emerald would go much better with this hue, don’t you think Opalescence?”

“Mrrowr!”
Sweetie Belle let out the breath she had been holding since she got home. Safe and in the clear, she made her way into her own room and closed the door and prepared for bed. As she turned off the lights, she took one of the scented candles her sister had given her and lit it. Taking out the book, she began to leaf through the pages. Confused at why the book had lost its words earlier, she contemplated whether she was going crazy from the desperation and just imagined it all when she heard the voice.

“Who would dare attempt to pry my secrets from me?” the voice pressed. Sweetie Belle once again felt that voice piercing into her mind. She knew she hadn’t imagined it! But… why did the words that she had read disappear?

“It’s me, Sweetie Belle,” the filly replied in a whisper so as not to alert Rarity. She flipped through the pages and when she got to the page she learned the locator spell on, she was stunned to see the words there once more, just sitting there on the page like nothing ever happened.

“What the!” Sweetie exclaimed quietly as she stared in disbelief. “Mister Wizard. Why did the spell I learned disappear when I showed my friends, and why did you stay quiet?” she squeaked. “My friends probably thought I was crazy!”

The book slowly mused in his thoughts before answering.

“The answer is simple. Those two were not meant to see the wondrous power of my tome. They are not unicorns, therefore they are not worthy of witnessing my power or hearing my lessons,” the book explained.

“Well… that seems a bit offensive,” Sweetie Belle complained. “But is it true that you won’t share your words with non-unicorns?”

“Indeed,” he answered shortly. “The other ponies would simply not be able to comprehend the content of this tome.”

Sweetie Belle gasped in awe. This book made her feel special, like she had a power that no other possessed. She wasn’t trying to put herself above her friends, but she liked the attention she was getting. It really boosted her confidence. Then the filly came up with an idea.

“Mister Wizard, can you teach me more magic? I’ve been having trouble learning for a long time, but when your book showed me that locator spell, I picked it up easily.”

Once more, the book seemed to be mulling over his thoughts before answering in a tone much like a wise teacher, though a very harsh teacher.

“My lessons are not for the weak-minded, or the weak-willed. If you are not worthy, then I will not teach you. For each spell learned carries a price.”

“Well…” Sweetie hesitated. “What kind of price are you talking about? I have plenty of bits, or do you want something tasty, like a banana?”

“Fool! I require no such material possessions, I merely want for magic. I will not, and in some cases, cannot teach you what you desire unless you feed me more magic.”

Slightly taken aback by the book’s sudden hostility, she figured that this wizard had once been very powerful, and very egotistical. But she had the thirst to learn and the desire to prove her worth now that he had brought it into question. She wanted to prove herself as a capable unicorn. She had been made fun of at school for being the only unicorn without rudimentary skill over her magical power. But this opportunity shined like gold for Sweetie Belle. A personal teacher from a bygone age? One who could teach her so easily as well? There wasn’t even a question. Sweetie needed this to happen for her.

“Okay! Then I’ll give you what you want, and in return, you’ll be my magic teacher,” the filly stated to the book. Figuring he wasn’t in much of an option to decline such an offer, especially after telling her earlier that it fed off of magic, she funneled more of her power into the book. The book once again sounded delighted, relishing in the power.

Sweetie noticed that the book was now slightly less beaten up than before, like as if the magic had actively repaired the binding. Once more, the book took matters into its own hooves, or… pages, and flipped itself to a new page, the light returning once more to scribe a new spell.

“Sweetie Belle, you will be my pupil and will follow my tutelage. Learn well and heed my commands, and you will find yourself growing stronger than you could imagine in such a short time. I promise you that you will gain respect and admiration for your newfound abilities. Now… let us begin…”

When Sweetie Belle awoke the next day, it was already past noon, and she made her way down to the kitchen groggily to fetch herself some breakfast. Levitating her cereal and spoon, she poured herself a glass of the apple juice that Apple Bloom had given her recently as an advertisement for her family. She sat down and began to munch loudly on her food when Rarity steamed into the room, her face flushed with a tint of red.

“Good morning Sweetie Belle!” she shouted through gritted teeth. “May I ask as to why you were awake the whole night!? You’re a growing filly, you need your sleep!”

Sweetie Belle had thought she had gotten off free from last night, but how had her sister figured out that she stayed up too late? She was about to open her mouth to explain herself, but Rarity continued to lecture her.

“It’s not proper for a lady to sleep so long into the day! Your friends came by earlier and I had to turn them away because you weren’t up and moving. Do you realize how impolite it is to have to do that?”

Rarity took a breath and then expectantly stared at her little sister with a harsh gaze. Sweetie figured that was her cue to start talking.

“Well, you see… I was out with my friends last night and we got home a little late, but that was because I had gotten sick from a… uh… zucchini I ate,” she finished with a smile. Rarity was not pleased.

“You hate zucchini.”

“Well, that’s why I got sick!” she answered back quickly. “And that’s why I had to sleep so long, I’m perfectly fine now!”

After finishing her half-baked excuse to Rarity, her sister relented.

“I’m sorry Sweetie Belle,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve just been so busy with these last few orders on such a short schedule that I guess I’ve been a bit harsh. Now go run along and play with your friends. Just make sure to come home at a decent time. I don’t want to have to explain to Mom and Dad if you get hurt from staying out too late and end up falling down or something…”

“Okay, thanks big sister! I love you!” Sweetie Belle said genuinely with a smile and a hug. Rarity’s anger dissipated as she and her sister hugged it out. Within moments, Sweetie Belle had run back upstairs, grabbed her saddlebags and had bolted out the door on her way to meet her fellow crusaders at the clubhouse. As she faded into the distance, Rarity just smiled, shook her head and sighed.

“Oh, wouldn’t it be nice to have that much time again. Sweetie Belle, what am I going to do with you?”

The trot to the clubhouse was a difficult experience for Sweetie, as she had been reading out of the book the whole way, not paying attention to where she was going. A few ponies remarked that she could have been Twilight if she was a bit bigger. Regardless, once she got the the clubhouse, she stowed the book and ascended the ladder into the old treehouse.

Inside were already Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. When Sweetie Belle walked in, Apple Bloom’s face lit up. It seemed as though she had been close to tears, her eyes were watery. Sweetie suspected something was up, so she sat down and listened to what her friends had to say.

“Where have you been?” asked Scootaloo. “It’s not like you to be late to club meetings.”

“Sorry, I got a bit busy with Rarity and couldn’t get here earlier. Anyway, what’d I miss?”

Apple Bloom stood up and started explain her morning.

“Well, you missed a lot. Mah family’s farm’s been getting attacked by those vampire fruit bats again. The only problem is that they’re not like the ones we encountered before. These critters aren’t willing to back down and they don’t seem to even care about eating the apples! They’re just taking them away and throwing them into the Everfree Forest! We’ve been fending them off all day,” Apple Bloom finished, out of breath.

“That’s terrible!” Sweetie Belle replied. She was upset because her friend was, and she wanted to do what she could to help.

“I was actually just about to go out and help with her, I just got back from asking for Rainbow Dash’s help with this too. Fluttershy’s apparently been trying to reason with the bats, but they even got hostile toward her,” Scootaloo explained. “These guys are mean.”

Apple Bloom embraced both of her friends in a vigorous hug, happy that her friends were willing to help her.

“Ah’m so glad you two are helping us out. I was worried we mighta lost a lot of business because of those no good varmints!” she thanked the other fillies.

The three girls left the clubhouse quickly to rush to the aid of the Apple family. As the crusaders approached the fields, they saw Applejack and Big Mac working hard to drive off the swarm of bats. They were everywhere! Applejack and Winona were busy herding the larger group of bats with a cargo net and pushing them off the bounds of the farm, while Big Mac was busy with a net all on his own, using naught but his own strength to restrain the bats he’d caught and send them packing.

As the girls convened with the Apple family siblings, Applejack hashed out a plan of attack.

“Ah good, you’re back AB, and ya brought your friends with ya too! We’re gonna need all the help we can get,” she admitted. “Ah don’t like it, but I know that this isn’t natural. I’d like you fillies to take the butterfly nets we’ve got in the barn and start catching these pests and sending them outta here.”

The three crusaders stood at attention and threw a sharp salute to their current commander. Each filly ran to the barn to acquire their weapon of choice for this chore. However, Scootaloo had to deliver her message to Applejack.

“Hey, AJ, I called in Rainbow Dash when I heard about all of this from Apple Bloom, she’ll be here to help soon too!” she called out.

“Okay, thank ya both!” Applejack responded, inwardly sighing. She didn’t want to let Rainbow see how deep in trouble their farm was, but she did need her friend’s help. She wouldn’t complain or let her pride get the best of her now.

After looking around in the barn for a short while, the girls found their nets and went to their task, netting up all the bats they could grab. Apple Bloom was a natural while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle floundered, not getting the desired results with their nets. Sweetie became disillusioned with her net, opting to try to use her magic to assist her.

Lighting up her horn, she managed to conjure a small cage to contain some of the bats, and she led them out of the farm’s boundaries and sent them on their way off to Everfree Forest. As she returned, she saw a rainbow streak in the sky and then witnessed the light shattering Sonic Rainboom as Rainbow Dash descended upon the scene.

“Hot stuff, coming through!” she called out as Sweetie Belle came back into sight of the others. She had to hold herself down to prevent the wind off of Rainbow’s wings from blowing her over. “Sorry ‘bout that, Sweetie Belle, but I gotta job to do!”

Rainbow Dash was collecting the bats at a blinding speed, putting them into a sack and flying them out of the farm at an astonishing rate.

With all six of the ponies and Winona working together, the bats were soon cleared out of the orchards, and the ponies rejoiced in their victory. But as they were celebrating, the ponies all looked out to the edge of the forest and witnessed the swarm, regrouped and heading for the orchard once more. Fed up with the determination of the pests, Rainbow flew out to meet the swarm head-on.

“Hey you guys!” she yelled out to the group of bats. “Try this one on for size!”

Rainbow began to fly in a small circle at blinding speeds, whipping up a miniature cyclone, as it expanded, she moved outward to continue to contain and keep the wind together. The cyclone began to suck up the bats, but it wasn’t nearly big enough to capture the entire hoard.

“Look at her flounder about,” the voice of the spellbook pierced through to Sweetie Belle’s mind. “She’ll not have the power to do this task herself. Show her the true strength of my magic. Show her your superiority!”

She took another look at the strong winds that Rainbow had whipped up. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Grand Wizard was right. Once she realized that the pegasus’ efforts would be futile, Sweetie quickly pulled out her book and passed off some of her magical power to it, asking for a spell to help her with the situation.

She put the book away and began to focus her thoughts into the spell she had just learned. The green glow came to life upon her horn and the cyclone became stronger. All the ponies standing by who had been cheering on Rainbow Dash realized that Sweetie Belle was straining to focus on something. Then they saw a faint green outline upon the collection of gale winds that Rainbow was controlling. It began to move faster and became more efficient in capturing the bats.

The wind picked up to incredible strengths and had no trouble pulling in the bats, and also succeeding in sucking up the attention of the other ponies by her. They stood in awe as they realized that Sweetie was helping Rainbow Dash, judging from the glow from her horn.

With the combined efforts of Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle, they succeeded in driving off the bats once more. But this time, they didn’t return, likely because of air sickness from all the spinning. As Rainbow returned to the rest of them, they all let out a cheer.

“Wow guys, did you see that? I’ve never made a cyclone that big before on my own!” Rainbow exclaimed. Applejack shook her head and pointed to Sweetie Belle.

“Sorry, Dash, but I think you had a little help from our little friend here,” she explained. “She used her magic to help us out.”

“Really? I thought it got easier somehow…” Rainbow mused. “Well, thanks for the assist. Normally I’d be kinda upset, but I guess it was good that you helped. Nicely done, Sweetie Belle!” Rainbow finished with a wink.

“Yaaay! We did it!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted in unison.

“Excellent job, my pupil,” the voice of the wizard sounded in Sweetie’s mind. “You have progressed farther than I expected, perhaps you will be ready to learn my special spell soon enough…”

Pleased by her teacher’s approval, Sweetie broke into a goofy smile, which the other ponies around her laughed at.

“Aww, looks like somepony’s being a bit modest!” said Applejack. Sweetie’s mind snapped back to reality and she struggled to reply to the comment she didn’t hear from Applejack. Thankfully for her, her friends provided her with an easy way out.

“Let’s go get some ice cream to celebrate!” Apple Bloom suggested to the other fillies. At the promise of ice cream, all other thoughts left the young ponies’ minds and they left at a canter to go and conquer Sugarcube Corner.

Applejack and Rainbow stood together watching their little friends scurry off into town.

“Sheesh…” Rainbow sighed. “I’ll have to admit, that was actually kinda exhausting. I’m glad it’s over.”

Applejack sat down on her haunches, took off her hat, and wiped her brow with a hoof.

“Ah hear ya, sister,” she answered. “What ah’m really wonderin’ is how those bats were that nasty. I know they’re pests at the best of times, but those ones just didn’t seem natural.”

“Yeah, I know!” Rainbow replied. “When Fluttershy was talking to them, they didn’t even listen to her, they only even stopped and obeyed the power of the stare when she was doing it. As soon as she stopped, they went right back to what they were doing.”

“It’s a mite troubling for certain. I wonder what could have caused that kinda behavior in those critters.”

“I don’t know…”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack continued to cool off from their struggle against the bats while pondering the cause of their actions. There had never been an outright attack on Sweet Apple Acres like this before.

When the crusaders came into Sugarcube Corner, they swarmed the front counter, clambering to get their orders taken. After a chaotic session of ordering, they paid the Cakes and sat at their preferred table.

The girls looked around, but noticed a lack of random action going on in the place. Pinkie Pie wasn’t there, or else she’d have shown herself by now.

When Mr. Cake came out to deliver the fillies their ice cream, he was bombarded with questions.

“Mister Cake, where’s Pinkie?”

“Yeah, where’d she go?”

“Is she throwing a party we weren’t invited to?”

Mr. Cake let his ears flop down as he patiently passed out the bowls of ice cream to each little filly. He gave them a short answer to keep the conversation with the three girls to a minimum since they had a tendency to be… inquisitive.

“She’s out of town visiting her sister,” he said. “She’ll be back sometime next week.”

“Awwwww,” came the collective moan from the crusaders. They were disappointed that one of their friends wouldn’t be there to have fun with them, but they went down to enjoying their ice cream anyway.

Since nopony was talking to her, Sweetie Belle whipped out her book and resumed her studying, learning simple spells, lighting up her horn to feed the book magic and practice what she learned. The other two ponies gave her quizzical looks.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom called to her. “That book is blank… why do you still have it?”

“Because I like it a lot and I’m using it,” she gave a short answer, slightly irritated that she had been interrupted. Her friends were taken by surprise by the sudden sharpness of Sweetie’s voice. Realizing her tone, Sweetie shook her head out and stowed the book once more.

“Sorry girls… I’m not sure what came over me,” she apologized. The other girls seemed to not be too upset over it, but it still seemed strange to them that Sweetie Belle was mean to them, even for a second.

Soon enough, the girls finished their ice cream and exited the store. When they got outside, they noticed that it was already getting dark.

“That’s weird,” Scootaloo stated. “Is it an eclipse? Cause it’s way too early for it to be getting dark. Or did we really spend that long fighting those bats?” The other girls merely shrugged to each other.

“Well, if it’s already getting dark, I have to get back home,” said Sweetie Belle. “Rarity got on me last night for being out late, and I don’t want to get in trouble again.”

The girls bid their farewells to one another, had a group hug, and all dispersed into the early nighttime. Sweetie Bell took a route that took her by Golden Oaks Library. She didn’t stop to visit since she already had the only book she’d need for quite some time. Twilight stood at the observation deck of her home, staring out at the stars with a preoccupied expression. Sweetie Belle paid no mind to Twilight’s worried appearance since she had to get back and study once more. She was learning so much and it already proved to be helpful to her friends. She wanted to learn more so she could help even more ponies.

“Twiligiiiiht!” Spike called out to the pony on the roof. “You’ve been up there for the past hour! The stars haven’t moved since then.”

The young dragon tapped his foot impatiently on the balcony, his claws making a racket upon the old wooden boards. After nearly ten minutes of constant beckoning and calling by her number one assistant, Twilight’s concentration finally broke. She took her eyes away from her telescope and quickly reviewed her astrological charts, confirming her observations before turning back to Spike.

“Sorry about that, Spike. There’s just been something strange going on…” she began. “The night fell far too quickly today than it should have, and I heard a report about a flock of bats with bad intentions attacking Sweet Apple Acres. Things like this aren’t that common without something being wrong.”

Spike took a glance up at the stars hanging in the night sky. He wondered if this was really such a big deal. It seemed like no matter where they were, he and all of his friends found trouble, or maybe it just followed them.

“Well, are you sure you’re not just imagining things this time, Twi?” the purple scaled dragon asked. “Cause I’m tired, and I’m gonna head to bed pretty soon,” he said with a yawn.

As he headed back down the stars bidding goodnight to his friend, Twilight teleported from her place at the telescope in front of Spike. Startled, he fell back onto his tail.

“You have GOT to stop doing that to me!” he complained.

“Sorry Spike, but I’m gonna need you for just a second. Go grab a quill and some parchment.”

As Spike scurried off, Twilight pondered her worries in her head, and when Spike returned in a haste, she was lost in her thoughts. The dragon patiently waited for the next five minutes as Twilight mumbled under her breath to herself and thought through her preoccupations. Eventually, Twilight snapped back to reality and noticed Spike ready for action.

“Okay Spike, take a letter,” she said. Having known in advance that was what she wanted, the baby dragon just set down to work. “Dear Princess Celestia, today in Ponyville, the moon rose up unexpectedly and much earlier than anticipated, is there— “

Twilight abruptly cut off her reciting her letter for Spike as green flames burst from his mouth with a resounding burping noise. A lone letter tumbled to the floor, bound in a scroll identical to the ones she got from Celestia. She must have already wanted to talk with Twilight. Spike unfurled the scroll and started to read aloud.

“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am afraid I bring bad tidings…”

“The moon has begun to surge with energy, and it hath casted a darkness upon thy beauteous land of Equestria. Though it is a sight to behold, We have not willed it to be so. There is something foul in the air, and We can sense it. The powers of darkness are at work in our fair land. We fear that some terrible fate may befall Equestria if nothing is done. Our sister has fallen ill. Mayhaps that is the reason the sun hath set so early on this day. We wrote this letter for you posthaste upon her illness. We beseech you to find the answer to this imminent peril. Equestria is counting on you, Twilight Sparkle.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna”

As Spike finished reading the letter, Twilight’s sense of unease had not been abated, but rather intensified. She had received this letter from Luna, and not Celestia. She was right. There was something going on, something that could spell doom for her friends and people if she didn’t get to the bottom of it.

“Okay Spike, thank you,” Twilight told her assistant. “I am now addressed of the situation, and I’ll get to work on it tomorrow, there’s little I can do tonight, everypony is already back inside their homes. I’ll study what I’ll need to tonight and then get to work on this investigation tomorrow bright and early,” she promised.

“Alright Twilight, just don’t wake me up too early, please. Equestria-wide doom can probably wait a few extra hours so I can get some decent sleep,” Spike declared before heading off to his bed.

Twilight cracked a smile in his direction as he retreated down the stairs to his bed. Leave it to Spike to bring some light-heartedness to a situation. Twilight steeled herself for her late-night study session and made her way down to the main library of her home. If there was anything that could help her find the problem, it would be in her trove of books.

The next morning came late. The clock read eleven, and yet the sun was only just rising. Twilight woke from her haze within her newly constructed book fort with groggy eyes to the greeting of Spike holding out a warm muffin for her breakfast, coupled with a glass of orange juice.

“Wakey, wakey!” Spike called out cheerfully. “You’re gonna need your strength for your world-saving adventure!”

Warmed by Spike’s pleasant demeanor and helpfulness, Twilight gingerly accepted the tray of food that Spike had brought her and ate quickly.

Once she had finished her breakfast, she picked up the book that she had found to be most helpful to her last night. Glossing over a passage she had marked, she cast the spell she had been looking for. The spell granted her a mental tracking ability to large sources of magic. If anything had the ability to mess with Luna’s control over the moon and was strong enough to make Celestia ill, then it had to be something very powerful, and likely magical. With this reasoning, Twilight had searched all night to find this spell.

As her horn flashed with its violet glow, she felt drawn toward a particular force of magical energy. She had not anticipated it would feel so close… it felt very close.

Twilight took a step out of her home and hit the town, following her horn to the source of the powerful magic.

As she walked, she felt the pull of the source she was searching for strengthen. Her journey was taking her toward the center of Ponyville, and past the town hall. She kept going, stopping outside of… Carousel Boutique? That was odd… perhaps it was being attracted to the Element of Harmony of Generosity, being Rarity?

She invited herself in, knowing Rarity wouldn’t mind. But when she got inside, Rarity wasn’t home, and there was no activity to suggest otherwise. Still being pulled by the spell she had cast, she made her way upstairs, stopping outside of Sweetie Belle’s room. Twilight began to question the accuracy of the spell she had chosen. Sweetie Belle? Last she had known, Sweetie Belle was having trouble casting even basic spells.

Twilight knocked on the door.

“Sweetie Belle, are you in there?” she asked. “I’m going to come in now.” She was being a bit intrusive, but she had Equestria to think about. It was her duty as a friend to all in Ponyville, an Element of Harmony, and a royal princess, and something simply had to take precedence over others.

As she walked inside, she found Sweetie Belle passed out over a large tome, chock full of information. It seemed to be a grand spellbook. It was in pristine condition despite its antique style, and the spells listed in it ranged from the mundane to the incredible. What was she doing with a book like this?

As she stepped closer, Twilight felt a buzzing sensation in her horn. The spell seemed to think that she had reached her mark. Figuring that the spell had probably steered her wrong, she severed her connection to it and scattered her active magic into the æther. She gently shook Sweetie Belle awake.

The young filly yawned and stretched herself out, exhausted from last night’s study binge. When she realized who had awoken her, she flinched at Twilight’s presence.

“What are you reading there, Sweetie?” Twilight asked politely. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened and she looked nervous.

“Nothing, just a little bit of magic. It’s just a regular spellbook. I borrowed it from school a few days ago,” she lied. Twilight gave her a quizzical look. The filly was hiding something, and she wasn’t doing a good job of doing it.

“Can I take a look at it, Sweetie Belle? I’m very interested in this book, it looks absolutely incredible!” she asked with some genuine interest and an ulterior motive.

“No!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed and snatched the tome from the desk. Twilight was bewildered by Sweetie Belle’s defensive actions. It wasn’t like Sweetie to hide something from her.

“Come on, just for a minute?” she asked again with an even lighter tone. Sweetie Belle just shook her head vigorously and shifted toward the door.

“Sorry! I just remembered I have a crusader meeting today! I have to go,” the filly said to excuse herself.

Taking the book with her, the little unicorn darted from the room and was out the door in a flash. Twilight was certainly concerned now. Maybe the spell hadn’t worked as she thought it would, but she definitely had something worth paying attention to. Perhaps Sweetie Belle knew something that would help her out. And maybe it was within that book of hers.

Having found a possible lead, who was defensive at that, Twilight made her way back home to find her sneaking suit. She had a stakeout to do. She had to find out about why Sweetie was acting like this, and she wasn’t going to get the truth from talking.

“Phew…” Sweetie Belle sighed. “That was too close. I thought she was going to try to take you away,” she said to the tome in her saddlebag.

“Do not fear, little one,” it spoke in a deep tone. “Even if she had succeeded in taking me, I would not have spoken to her, and I would not reveal my secrets to her either. She is not my student. Only you have shown me the power and strength of will to be my student.”

Stirred on by her teacher’s encouragement, she beamed to nopony in particular, puffing out her chest with pride. She had learned so much from the wizard over the past few days. Now the tome stood proudly, its colors showing vibrantly and royally, like as if it were a tome out of the royal palace itself. The binding of the book was strong and sturdy once more. It had received enough magic from Sweetie Belle to be heard by her clearly.

The book’s voice was now deep and powerful. It brought a weight of authority that Sweetie felt she dared not disobey, like a strict father. She felt an admiration for her teacher, but also had some irrational fear toward him, despite him being a book.

“You are ready now,” the tome suddenly said to her. “I can now teach you my final spell. It must be performed in the Everfree Forest. I will teach you what you need to know once you have brought me there tonight.”

Though Sweetie Belle didn’t relish the idea of being out late to maybe be caught by Rarity this time, she agreed to her teacher and made a plan to go to the forest late at night when nopony could stop her and punish her for being out too late.

The filly spent the rest of the day practicing what she had learned from her teacher, all manners of spells. She executed each one with nearly no flaws at all. It seemed that the promises the tome had made to her on that day in the ancient castle were not just bluster. She felt the results in her body. Her magic was stronger than it had ever been before.

Tonight she would be ready. She’d complete her teacher’s secret spell and pass his expectations. He’d have taught her all he knew and she would become one of the greatest spellcasters in all of Equestria! She’d have no trouble finding a cutie mark then!

Part II

There was something very wrong about this situation. Sweetie Belle was the sister to the Element of Generosity. If she was coveting something and hiding it from others, then it warranted investigation. Though she spent the rest of the day scouring her library for records of a magical tome that corrupted the user, she found no such thing on record. Perplexed by Sweetie Belle’s actions, Twilight ate her dinner in silence and fretted over the imminent threat to Equestria. Had it already come and was wearing away at the ponies’ good moods? Other ponies had been on edge today as well. It was like as if their happiness had been sapped by some unseen force.

As night fell, it came even earlier than the night previous. The lingering glow of the sunset shone red in the sky as the purple and dark blue hues faded into an all-encompassing blackness. Having only one lead to follow, Twilight prepared herself to trail Sweetie Belle during her evening, or at least eavesdrop on her studies to see if she had any knowledge of what was wrong since she was holding out on her. The alicorn donned the sneaking suit that she had once worn to infiltrate the Star Swirl wing of the Canterlot Royal Library.

The suit was a little tight now that she had wings now. To mend the situation, she carefully cut holes in the fabric to allow her wings to fit through with ease. Hopefully her stealth and sneaking had been improved by her wings. She’d need to be unseen and unheard while on her investigation.

Twilight left Golden Oaks and flew quickly and quietly toward Carousel Boutique. Once she arrived, she ascended to Sweetie Belle’s window just in time to see the door close. Within a few seconds, she saw the back door of the building open, and a small hooded figure departed from the store. It seemed Sweetie Belle didn’t want to be seen either. Twilight continued her pursuit, using the overcast weather to mask her movement.

Her cover-up worked wonders, the hooded pony didn’t notice a thing. The flight after the figure continued through the entire town, until the pony disappeared into the Everfree Forest. Inwardly cursing the tree canopy, Twilight decided to forsake her cloudy cover and land in order to continue her observations. Thus far, the hooded pony had done nothing but walk to the forest and periodically check its saddlebags to ensure that book was still in there. It was definitely Sweetie Belle by her recent behavior, and based on the amount of times she checked for the book, it was almost like a compulsion.

As Twilight entered the forest, a heavy fog coated the area. It got so thick that she had to close the distance between her and Sweetie somewhat to avoid losing sight of her. She couldn’t take the risk of hitting a branch or any hanging leaves by hovering above the ground, so she did the next best thing to hide the noise of her hoofs; she followed Sweetie Belle’s pace exactly so that the sound from her hooves and Sweetie’s were indistinguishable.

This method worked well, but it took an agonizing amount of patience. Twilight constantly had to monitor her breath to make sure she wasn’t making too much noise as well as avoid puddles or bushes. Sweetie Belle kept on mumbling to herself, or the book, whichever one it really was. The alicorn was getting worried about the filly’s mental health at this point. The two ponies cantered at the same speed for what seemed like an eternity until they reached a clearing.

As the pony in front of her halted in the center of the clearing, Twilight took the opportunity to fly up to a tall branch and hid behind some of the leaves in the tree. The little figure in front of her removed its cloak, revealing itself to indeed be Sweetie Belle, but something seemed different about her. Her eyes looked dull and empty, as if she had been deprived of sleep. She probably had been, but this was unnatural. As the cloak fell to the ground, it became apparent that the filly was also in a simple black robe, like as if she was attending a funeral procession. A chill went down Twilight’s spine.

The ancient tome came out once more, this time being held in Sweetie’s magic and held aloft as she began to chant. The book shone with an eerie light and began to glow. The red, green, and purple panels on the cover began to radiate strongly. Then without warning, a shrill cry cut through the night air. While the noise didn’t seem to even shake Sweetie Belle while startling Twilight, almost to the point of eliciting a scream, the filly quickly brought the book close once more and it quit shining. Though she feared to turn her head toward the sound, Twilight shifted to a side to witness a portal opened within the forest. She had no idea where the portal led to, but those worries were cut short as something even more terrifying came into sight.

Two large demonic figures came through the portal with bat wings and a face akin to a stone statue from a haunted castle or mansion. There were sharp horns protruding from the head of each beast, pointed skyward like spires. They looked angry and strong, and they were headed right for Sweetie Belle! Twilight had never seen a gargoyle up close before, and now that she had, she was frozen in fear. But looking back at Sweetie Belle, the little filly didn’t even seem phased.

According to the books on mythos that Twilight had read, the gargoyles were the wardens to Tartarus. If they were here, that could spell nothing but trouble. But why were they approaching Sweetie? As if to answer, one of the two gargoyles began to speak in a gravely and low voice.

“Little pony, you are in possession of a great power that is not meant for your realm. Relinquish it at once or face the consequences,” the taller of the two said in a menacing voice. He pointed an outstretched talon impatiently at his target. The little filly moved the book protectively behind her, making an unsaid statement of refusal. The gargoyle balled up his talons into a fist, losing his patience.

“I will give you one last chance, that grimoire must return to Tartarus where its unholy power belongs. You may give it freely, or we shall take it by force. We have been all over this plane and have only found our quarry now that the time is most dire,” the second gargoyle said in a lighter tone. He sounded more polite, but still intimidating.

Once again, Sweetie Belle made no move to comply. Instead, she set her hooves defiantly and stared down the gargoyles with empty eyes and a vacant expression. The first of the two gargoyles had had enough and moved in on Sweetie Belle, pumping its wings and picking up speed as it charged.

“We gave you your warning! Now prepare to face your reckoning!” he yelled as he flew toward the filly.

Twilight had well known the dangers a gargoyle posed to its prey from the books she had read. These wardens of Tartarus were equipped with razor sharp talons, a bladed tail, and even more frightening, ice breath. Their skin was as tough as stone. Not nearly as strong as a dragon’s, but still extremely tough and durable. They could see perfectly in the absence of light.

As the gargoyle neared Sweetie Belle, Twilight was preparing for confrontation. She had no idea what Sweetie Belle was up to, but she was her friend and needed help to fight off her assailants. But to her surprise, as soon as the gargoyle reared back to strike and met Sweetie’s body, he ricocheted off, repelled by a barrier that the filly had erected in the blink of an eye. As the gargoyle flew back, Sweetie Belle let loose her own counterstrike. Her horn glowed green and let loose a lightning chain straight from her horn to the body of the surprised gargoyle. He shook violently and fell to the ground in a daze.

Twilight stood stunned by the turn of events. That spell was far too advanced for her to know, and more importantly, why in Equestria had she learned it? As the light faded from Sweetie’s horn, she spoke out to her two attackers.

“Leave this place,” she said, her voice devoid of its usual cheer and pep. She sounded almost dead inside, like her soul had vacated her body. “You will not interrupt the spell!”

Now that his partner had taken a direct bolt of lightning, the second gargoyle took flight. He avoided several beams of magical energy sent at him by the filly below with enough precision flying and turning to rival a pegasus. As he dodged yet another beam, his mouth began to glow with a soft blue light. It expelled a flurry of icy shards headed straight to Sweetie’s location. To counter, the unicorn whipped up a whirlwind with a spell and swept up the sharp frozen shards and sent them back to their source.

The gargoyle dipped down and descended at a breakneck pace. As he approached the ground, he touched down and blasted from his spot, executing a risky ninety degree turn in less than a second. He charged the filly and closed the distance faster than Sweetie was prepared for, he met the shield and struck it with all his might, shattering the magical barrier into little pieces. He whipped around and struck with his tail, but felt a sudden pain.

His tail had been caught in the grasp of the unicorn’s magic and was being pulled vigorously, sending pain shooting up his spine. In dire straights, the gargoyle launched himself back, administering a sharp kick with his back legs to the rebellious pony. She stumbled back and the book dropped from her grip. Seizing the opportunity, the gargoyle grabbed the book within his talons. Despite not having shown any emotion prior to this, Sweetie’s face broke into a livid expression, with a sudden fire in her eyes.

The fire Twilight saw in Sweetie’s eyes became manifested in green flames that swarmed the gargoyle. He screamed in pain and the book left his claws, falling into the center of the clearing. The first gargoyle had regained his feet by now and roared in anger.

“Haunt my presence no more!” the filly exclaimed with a powerful glow from her horn. Suddenly, ice shards jutted out from the ground, striking the wardens square in the chest and launching them far away. Mercilessly, the filly cast another spell, calling forth a powerful bolt from the sky above, the bolt struck both gargoyles and knocked them unconscious.

Using her now considerable magical might, the filly took both of her assailants into her magic and cast them back through the portal from whence they came. As both gargoyles were banished, she closed their portal with another spell. The book lay in the center of the clearing and the filly picked it up once more, resuming what she had set out to do in the forest.

Twilight’s mouth had been hanging open for the duration of the fight. It was impressive to see the young filly hold her own and even win against guardians of Tartarus. But she was also very frightened by the filly’s power and lack of emotions. Twilight began to creep stealthily toward the little pony, quite confident that whatever had just happened had to do with the thing she was supposed to stop.

As Sweetie Belle began to chant once more, the book lifted up on its own accord without any use of magic from the unicorn. The book radiated once more with an eerie light, and suddenly, a circle began to etch itself into the ground. The circle was geometrically perfect, with strange symbols appearing every few degrees in the shape. An alarm in Twilight’s head began to blare. She knew what this was! She had read about this! Sweetie Belle was casting a ritual, and given the confrontation with the gargoyles, she had no doubt that this ritual was to call something foul. The Sweetie Belle she knew would never do anything so reckless. There had to be a reason.

The light grew brighter once the circle had completed, and Sweetie Belle began to float within it at the center, the book hanging in front of her, open to a page that depicted a very detailed description of the spell. Twilight took flight and broke her cover, dashing to save Sweetie Belle from her own spell. She knew exactly the price of this spell from her studies.

Twilight entered the incantation circle and shoved Sweetie Belle harshly, to the point that she tumbled out of the circle. The filly hit her head upon the ground and rolled for some distance, coming to a halt. She tried to lift herself back up, but lost consciousness. The alicorn attempted to escape before the spell resolved, but got caught in the light of the circle.

A terrified shriek rent the air of the night as all light fled the clearing and succumbed to shadow.

Sweetie Belle recovered her conscious quickly. As she awoke, she rubbed her head with a hoof and waited for her vision to return to her. What had happened? Her head felt groggy. She couldn’t remember anything since last night. Where was she? The forest? The filly felt around her location, feeling the soft moss and grass of the forest, smacking her hoof on a nearby root and wincing in pain. She was in the Everfree Forest no doubt, but what was she doing here? And where was her book?

As Sweetie got to her hooves, she took a look around. She was in a clearing, and there were signs of a struggle. There had been claw marks and heavy prints everywhere around the clearing. Had she needed to fight off a pack of timberwolves?

Then her gaze fell upon Twilight sprawled out in the center of the clearing. She looked like she had been knocked out by something. Sweetie guessed that she had cast some powerful spell to save them and lost consciousness from the strain. Suddenly, Twilight got up and started to inspect her body.

Sweetie Belle took a cautious walk over. Twilight was acting weird, like she was surprised she had wings. But the alicorn seemed to be alright. The unicorn’s attention was captured by the book laying on the ground a little ways away from the two ponies. She walked over and picked up the book once more.

“Grand Wizard, I’m ready to learn more, I just wish my head didn’t feel so fuzzy right now…” she called out to the book. “Do you have any spells that can help recall memories? I wanna know what just happened to us.”

No reply came from the book. Sweetie Belle tried calling out more, but her mind remained clear of another presence. Worriedly, she flipped through the spellbook, but all of its pages were empty! It had been wiped clean somehow. The cover of the book had once again returned to the tattered and beaten state she had found it in when she was in the Castle of the Two Sisters.

“Grand Wizard! Answer me! Where did you go?” the filly called out. While she got no answer from the book, she heard a laugh from Twilight. But it sounded off. Her voice had become warped and lower than usual. The alicorn turned around and Sweetie Belle let out a gasp.

Twilight had physically changed. Her mane had grown darker and was missing its pink highlight, her eyes glowed with a purple aura and her teeth had elongated into fangs. Sweetie Belle brought a hoof to her forehead. Her memory was starting to return, she had come here to cast a spell. But why was Twilight here and why did she look so scary?

“I must thank you, Sweetie Belle,” the alicorn said. It no longer sounded like Twilight. The voice had grown even deeper than when it was laughing. “I hadn’t thought I would be put into this body, but it would seem fate has smiled upon me and granted me even greater fortune than I had imagined.”

Sweetie Belle began to shake with fear, the gravity of what she had done mercilessly returning to her. She had casted a spell, a very dark spell. Now she remembered! She must have been controlled, but she still could see some of the things she did. She remembered fighting the gargoyles and being frightened out of her mind while her body seemed to move on its own. She recalled activating the incantation and the circle appearing. But at the last moment, she had been pushed out and must have passed out.

Now the consequences of her actions were clear to her. She had casted a spell to call a spirit into her body! Only… the target of the spell had been altered, and now Twilight had been infected by the malevolent spirit.

“Twilight! Snap out of it!” Sweetie Belle yelled out to her friend. The alicorn laughed once more with a harsh laugh that cut to Sweetie’s core.

“Fool! Your Twilight is no longer here, it is only I, my pupil,” the alicorn spoke. Sweetie Belle began to inwardly shout in denial. Her teacher wouldn’t have done this! He was the Grand Wizard! There had to be some mistake. How could she not have realized it? Was she truly so naive…?

“Because you assisted me so much and obeyed like a good servant, I will grant you the knowledge of my true identity,” he continued to speak. “I am your ruler, King Sombra! Bow before your powerful and mighty king!”

Sweetie Belle’s heart sank in her chest. She had read about the evil King Sombra, and how he had once ruled over the Crystal Empire. Twilight had told her that she and her friends had managed to stop his return. How was he here? Sweetie couldn’t move, she was so frightened.

“Oh, fate works in mysterious ways…” Sombra mused. “I now inhabit the body of one of those responsible for sending me to Tartarus! Now I shall be the one to succeed.”

Sweetie Belle’s curiosity managed to overpower her fear enough to at least speak in the face of such evil.

“I thought you were banished forever! How did you come back?” she squeaked. The king just laughed once more.

“I suppose you deserve to hear my tale,” he said with a nod. “When I was banished by those upstart ponies, I was sent to Tartarus with but a fraction of the power I had wielded in Equestria. I endured what seemed like an eternity in that horrible realm! In my pain, I came upon a plan that would save me from my regrettable fate. I used the last of my magic to open a small portal, though it was not big enough for me to fit through though. So I broke my soul’s bonds with my body, and as it faded, I became bound by my grimoire. The grimoire fell through the portal as it closed, leaving the guards with no leads to where I had escaped to. I had been sent into that dank and pathetic castle you found me in. When I felt the three of you enter my presence, I used the last of my magic in a desperate attempt to summon the unicorn among you to me.”

King Sombra halted his story long enough to stare directly as Sweetie Belle with a smirk, as if thanking her for her heritage and foolishness to come to him.

“Once you picked me up, I posed as a wizard who had been living in a book and required magic to sustain himself. It was quite a story, and I had to even change my voice and appearance in case you could see me. It was much closer to the truth than you may have expected. It is thanks to your willingness to give your magic to me that I was able to pass my knowledge to you. No matter how much magic I absorbed from you, I couldn’t cast the incantation myself, especially without a body to move my soul to. You provided both and were so trusting! But fate wished it to be different. I fell upon the luck to be interrupted and have an alicorn princess fall prey to the circle.”

The alicorn king stopped his tale once more to inspect his hooves and crack a smile. The happier he got, the more scared and desperate Sweetie’s mind got. It told her to run for her life, but her legs wouldn’t move.

“Now I am even more powerful than I imagined! This body is foreign to me and will require more magic to mold to my liking, but I have all the strength of even Celestia! Now I will continue my quest to restore my rightful rule to this kingdom. Since you helped me, you may join me as my servant,” he finished, reaching out a hoof to the little unicorn. He cast a quick spell to summon a red cloak with a white trim, lined with black stones on the lining.

She stood stock still and shivered. If she accepted, she’d likely have a better life than anypony else if he succeeded, but she didn’t want to be so close to such a horrible presence. She wanted to fight him back and stop him before he won, but her body wouldn’t cooperate!

“I-I-I…” she stammered. Her body was now shaking like a leaf caught in a tornado. The king smiled and began to approach her, ready to take his new servant and begin his conquest. But suddenly, he convulsed and began to scream in pain.

“Aaaaugh! Ahhh! Grrr…!” he grunted as he threw his hooves to his head. “You can’t listen to him!” he suddenly said. The dark force inside of Twilight’s body relented just for a moment and its appearance made a sudden shift back to Twilight. “You have to stop him! I know I’m asking a lot of you, but you can’t let him get away with this! I’m trusting you, Sweetie Belle,” she said.

The manifestation of King Sombra returned, fighting for control over his new body. Twilight was apparently putting up a fight internally protesting the new soul inhabiting her body. Their appearances began to shift rapidly, the alicorn cringing in pain and tumbling to the ground. Thanks to Twilight’s encouragement, Sweetie Belle found the strength once more to move, and set her hooves to confront her opponent. This was what Twilight wanted… right? She needed her right now, so Sweetie would do what she could.

The alicorn got up once more, once more as King Sombra. Though the continual flashes between the two ponies continued, King Sombra remained dominant and in control. The magic he had absorbed over time in addition to his new alicorn powers allowed him the strength of spirit to subdue the young princess inside.

“Hey! Y-y-you meanie!” Sweetie stuttered out. “I-I’m gonna stop you and save my friend! You’re not my teacher anymore!” she screamed out defiantly, quaking in a mix of anger and fear. Sombra frowned at his ex-pupil, though he would never admit it, he would have enjoyed continuing to teach her and corrupt her with darkness. But now he had to put his newest servant into her place.

The evil king set his hooves and let out a primal roar. His horn lit up with a dark, jet-black light. Black lines traced themselves through the ground to form a large ring, when the ring was formed, the earth ruptured and black crystals shot forth. The air grew cold and even the light of the stars seemed to fade overhead.

The Sombra-alicorn’s eyes glowed purple as his power radiated outward, washing over the filly like a wave.

“You could have been my student and learned the great strength of the darkness… but instead you shall learn the lesson of pain and suffering,” he stated to the filly.

King Sombra called his power to his horn and called forth a crystalline lance and sent it shooting toward the filly. Sweetie let out a scream and rolled to one side, landing roughly and ungracefully. As she recovered her balance, she sucked up her courage and began to recall what she could remember from the tutelage of King Sombra himself. As much as she didn’t like the fact that she was deceived, she called forth her power into the offensive spells she had learned.

Relying on the power inside of her, she funneled her energy through her horn and released a wave of conjured water to strike her foe with a deluge. As the tidal force reached the king, he used his magic to summon a sword, once more made of black crystal, and parted the waves with a mighty cleave.

“Insolent fool!” he cried out as he briefly took flight and summoned more magical power through his horn. A pillar of flame erupted from the earth, spewing ash and sparks in a geyser around the clearing. Sweetie frantically weaved in and out of the flames, avoiding the heat. After setting up a rhythm, the flames dissipated, leaving Sweetie Belle out of breath.

Determined to save her friend, she began to cast another spell. She called upon the life force of the trees around her and vines came to life to try and ensnare the malevolent monarch. To the filly’s dismay, the vines shriveled before they came up to reach him. He was casting his own evil light from his horn to drain the life of the vines.

“I have had enough of you! You may cease to be,” Sombra declared, charging his energy once more. The black light crackled with power as if it were surging uncontrollably. The crackling turned more violent and the magic released in the form of a lightning surge.

The electricity flashed toward her at a breakneck speed. As the lightning approached her, she wished Twilight was here to help her. She was good at these magic fights, and she wouldn’t be so scared… What would Twilight do? Suddenly, she thought of a spell that could help her. At the last moment, Sweetie Belle relied on her adrenaline to fuel one of the most difficult spells she knew of.

The lightning crashed against its mark and left a hole in the tree and singed the area it struck, charring it black. The king looked up toward the darkened moon and smiled to himself. Now that he dispatched his target, next was the closest settlement to be unlucky enough to meet him.

“Now I shall begin my reclamation starting with the town of Ponyville,” he spoke to himself.

“No way!” that squeaky voice came from behind. As Sombra whipped around in surprise, he was met by a lightning bolt directly in the chest, blowing him back so hard that he smashed into a tree.

“How did you evade that attack!?” he desperately cried, the tables now turned. “And you would dare use own spells against me?”

“Not just yours, you big doody-head!” Sweetie Belle snapped confidently. “I also used one of my friend Twilight’s as well! I teleported to avoid your attack and kick your plot!”

“Aaaarrrgh!” the king cried out savagely once more. He once again writhed in agony as Twilight fought for control once more. She appeared and sent out a quick message to her little friend.

“Please, Sweetie Belle, listen to me! I need you to open a portal and send us through it, send us to Tartarus! Aaaggh!” she pleaded as she cried out in pain.

“Insolent brat!” the king inside the alicorn body yelled. “I will finish you both!”

In a desperate attempt to shake off the spirit of Twilight and down the unicorn opposing him, he cast a spell that shook the entire earth beneath them. Sweetie Belle stumbled and fell, unable to keep her balance on the shifting ground. Focusing as hard as she could, she recited the spell in her head and let the magic flow through her and opened a portal to the fabled place she had read about.

An oval shaped portal opened and greeted Sweetie with the sight of flame and stone, a realm of naught but solitude, isolation and pain. Though enthralled and yet terrified of this vision, she pressed on with her grim task.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she pointed her horn at the enemy in front of her and unleashed a forceful blast of energy, sending the other pony reeling through the portal. King Sombra’s cry of sheer frustration hung in the air and rung in Sweetie’s mind as she closed the portal.

As the portal closed, Sweetie’s adrenaline ran out and she collapsed upon the now still earth. Coming to terms with what she had been forced to do, she wanted to tear her own heart out. She had just banished one of her good friends to Tartarus! Consumed by her grief, Sweetie Belle took her head in her hooves and began to cry bitterly into the night.

Sweetie Belle cried so long and hard that she had passed out once more, in part due to the physical fatigue of the battle beforehoof. In her dreams, or rather nightmares, she continually replayed the memory of sending Twilight and Sombra through the portal. She could still see Sombra’s scowl of anger and Twilight’s weak smile, as if to tell her that she had done the right thing. But even the sight of that warm smile brought her no solace.

“Please… please, why didn’t I see this coming? Why did it have to take her instead of me? What do I have to do to get her back? Can’t somepony help me… please?” the little filly pleaded out to thin air.

Sweetie looked up to the sky to see the moon shine back to its full luster, and the stars had come out to dance once more. Though at the moment, despite the happy dance of the stars above, she like the only thing she could add to such a scene would be a dirge for her friend.

“I wish that I could get her back…” she mumbled to herself, tears staining her cheeks and rolling down to the ground. As if to answer her prayers, two figures came flying down to meet her in the clearing. As they landed, their identities became apparent and Sweetie’s fears melted away.

The royal princesses had arrived on the scene! If anypony knew how to help Twilight, it would be them. Sweetie Belle choked on her tears and dipped into a formal bow.

“Sweetie Belle,” Celestia spoke with authority. Here it came… Sweetie was about to be banished to the moon for what she had done, wasn’t she? She was ready to face the consequences, but she had to know if Twilight could be saved. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could talk, the princess continued.

“We have witnessed your plight and come to deliver an opportunity to you,” the solar princess said. Sweetie Belle gasped and her eyes lit up, with her ears shooting skyward. The princess now had her full attention.

“We have seen the consequences of thy actions, young filly,” Luna spoke this time. “And we know of thy thirst for knowledge. You now see that such actions may be dangerous, yes?”

Sweetie couldn’t muster the strength to speak, so she just nodded her head up and down vigorously.

“There is a way to regain Twilight in this realm once more,” she continued. “It will require your assistance though.”

Once more, the filly nodded her head. The princess passed her a scroll that contained only a few lines of text on it. It was another incantation for a ritual. This one however was not nearly as dark as it was a true summoning spell, meant to call one from one plane of existence to another, or just over great distances.

“To recover somepony lost to another realm against their will, only the one who cast the pony of desire into the void will be able to recall them,” Luna explained. “You must be the one to cast our spell.”

Like a broken record, Sweetie Belle nodded her head yet again, agreeing to everything the ruler of the night said to her. She turned around and shakily summoned energy to her horn. After failing several times to create the spark of magic at the tip, she finally succeeded in creating the incantation circle. It took all her mental strength to maintain the circle, but the spell resolved, and a black crystal shot up in the center of it.

Within the crystal laid Twilight, unconscious. The crystal shattered into pieces and faded away, leaving the princess lying on the ground.

“We must work quickly,” Celestia spoke up. “The soul of King Sombra is still residing within her. Where is his previous vessel?”

Scurrying to the location of the tattered old tome, Sweetie picked it up in her hooves since she could no longer manifest magic into her horn, and brought it to the princess.

“This is it, Princess Celestia,” Sweetie Belle said with an exhausted air. Her body couldn’t take much more before she collapsed once more.

“Thank you,” she said kindly before turning back to the pony lying in front of her with a grim expression.

Both princesses approached the unconscious pony and began to let the light glow from their horns. As the glow from their horns illuminated the clearing, energies swirled around them and converged above Twilight. A brilliant light forced its way into Twilight and her body began to convulse wildly, as if she had been bitten by bed bugs during her sleep. Suddenly, a dark cloud was purged from her body. The shadow attempted to charge Princess Luna, but Celestia refocused her power to summon four pillars of light to surround the shadow.

The shadow shrieked in pain. While it was distracted, Luna cast her own new spell and opened the book it had once been bound to. When the spell activated, the book flipped open on its own accord and began to suck in the shadow with a gale-like force.

“NOOOOOO!” the shadowy soul of Sombra cried out as he was forced once more into the grimoire.

The two princesses panted heavily as the struggle against even the weakened form of Sombra still tested their mettle. Princess Celestia made her way to the tome that was now lying on the ground silently. It was lying dormant, the green, purple, and red panels on the book glowing faintly. The book had retained a good deal of its magic, but was no longer strong enough to manifest Sombra without another vessel.

“It’s time to end this,” Celestia declared. “For Equestria!”

With her resolve to defend her kingdom and her subjects in her eyes, Celestia took the book in her hooves and took to the air. She quickly funneled her power through her horn and created a portal to Tartarus without breaking a sweat. Sweetie was impressed by such power, she had been temporarily drained after doing that. Celestia took a mighty wind-up, and gave a mighty swing, casting the grimoire into the portal to Tartarus.

“Begone, and never return to haunt my kingdom anymore!” she demanded to the expanse of Tartarus as she closed the portal.

The sisters turned back to Twilight, who had now softly opened her eyes. She began to get up and inspect her body, wincing at the pain still fresh from ‘her’ fight with Sweetie Belle. As she began to show signs of general wellness, Sweetie Belle finally lost hold of her consciousness and fainted, slipping into a blissful sleep.

A groan escaped Twilight’s lips as a headache wracked her mind. She was slowly coming back into reality from her ordeal. When she opened her eyes, she was in the warm company of her mentor and Princess Luna. Princess Celestia gave a radiant smile to her student.

“Welcome back, Twilight Sparkle. I am glad to see you are well,” the ruler said.

Tilting her head back and forth to weigh the feeling she had regained to her body, the smaller alicorn nodded in agreement.

“It’s good to be back! I’m glad we were able to stop Sombra again. This time was just as close as the last…” Twilight mused. If she hadn’t managed to maintain some control over herself during that terrible experience with Sombra, then things may have taken a very grim turn. “Thank goodness Sweetie Belle is alright. I did my best to keep control over my body, but I’m just glad that she had the strength she did at the time, frightening as it was.”

Princess Celestia looked to her sister, both nodding to each other in some unspoken agreement.

“Uh… did I miss something?” Twilight asked. The two princesses turned back to their fellow alicorn and Princess Luna stepped forward.

“We have decided that it would be best to remove all memory of these past events from Sweetie Belle’s mind. Nopony should have that kind of dark power. It may threaten all of Equestria yet again,” she declared. Twilight nodded her head as she listened. They were right, Sombra’s power was truly frightening and she didn’t like seeing it in the hooves of Sweetie Belle either.

Princess Celestia walked over to the sleeping form of Sweetie Belle and began to channel energy through her horn.

“This young one, with the thirst to learn made a terrible error in judgement and nearly lost herself because of it. When she wakes, she will no longer remember the spells she has learned during her studies under Sombra,” Celestia explained.

The strong shine of the monarch’s horn glowed in a golden splendor, growing to surround the filly with the warm light. The light soon centered around her head and began to swirl. Within seconds, the spell was complete, and the little unicorn’s sleep seemed to grow more restful.

Twilight, curious to know more stepped toward her teacher and her young friend. She gazed down to see the content smile on Sweetie’s face, feeling relief at the sight.

“So what happens now, Princess?” Twilight asked. With another wave of her horn and glow of magic flashing in the night, the white alicorn lifted Sweetie Belle off the ground and plopped her onto Twilight’s back, earning a surprised grunt from her student.

“You must take your friend back to her home. She will remember everything that happened, but be left without her increased knowledge of magic. It is up to you to teach her where she went wrong in this misadventure.”

Twilight gave Celestia her best smile and shifted her shoulders to better support Sweetie Belle’s weight. She gave Celestia a small bow, which was returned to her.

“Princess Sparkle, there is no need to show such formality with me now. And to be honest, I should be showing all my gratitude to you. You were the one who saved this land,” she said, making her own bow lower than that of Twilight’s. “Thank you for your service, Twilight.”

Twilight gave a slight blush as her mentor bowed before her. Then she remembered something.

“Well, it wasn’t all me,” Twilight said. “Even though it wasn’t the greatest way to handle it, Sweetie Belle was the only way we would have solved the problem.”

“Then make sure she is justly rewarded,” the princess said with a knowing wink.

Then Princess Luna joined with her sister and both made a nod and a wave to Twilight, and took to the air. As the two royal sisters ascended into the night sky, Twilight was left alone with the sleeping filly on her back. Twilight took a glance over her shoulder.

“A just reward… I know how much you really want to learn magic,” her words fell upon deaf ears. “I’ll teach you myself, and I know just the books to do it.”

The filly merely let out a sniffle in response as Twilight began walking toward Ponyville. The alicorn gave a weak smile and let out a lengthy yawn. As exciting as her evening had been, she was now totally exhausted. She turned her head once more to address her sleeping friend.

“Heh heh,” she giggled. “Maybe we’ll start late in the morning.”